Reflexology Reduces Feelings of Pain

Reflexology may be as effective as painkillers, according to a small study carried out by the University of Portsmouth.

Researchers found that people felt about 40 percent less pain and were able to stand pain for about 45 percent longer, when they used reflexology as a method of pain relief.

This is the first time this widely used therapy has been scientifically tested as a treatment for acute pain, meaning it may be used to complement conventional drug therapy in the treatment of conditions associated with such pain as osteoarthritis, backache and cancers.

Participants attended two sessions, in which they were asked to submerge their hand in ice water. In one of the sessions, they were given reflexology before they submerged their hand, and in the other session they believed they were receiving pain relief from a TENS machine, that was not actually switched on.

Dr. Carol Samuel, who is a trained reflexologist and carried out the experimental procedures at the University of Portsmouth as part of her doctorate degree, said, “As we predicted, reflexology decreased pain sensations. It is likely that reflexology works in a similar manner to acupuncture by causing the brain to release chemicals that lessen pain signals.”

The researchers found that when the participants received reflexology prior to the session, they were able to keep their hand in the ice water longer before they felt pain, and that they could also tolerate the pain for a longer period of time.

Dr. Ivor Ebenezer, co-author of the study, said, “We are pleased with these results. Although this is a small study, we hope it will be the basis for future research into the use of reflexology”

Reflexology is a complementary medical approach, which works alongside orthodox medicine, in which pressure may be applied to any body area but is commonly used on either the feet or hands. In this study, reflexology was applied to the feet.

Ebenezer, from the Department of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, and Samuel used a small study of 15 people to determine whether reflexology would be more effective than no pain relief at all.

Ebenezer said, “Complementary and alternative therapies come in for a lot of criticism, and many have never been properly tested scientifically. One of the common criticisms by the scientific community is that these therapies are often not tested under properly controlled conditions.

“When a new drug is tested, its effects are compared with a sugar pill. If the drug produces a similar response to the sugar pill, then it is likely that the drug’s effect on the medical condition is due to a placebo effect”.

“In order to avoid such criticism in this study, we compared the effects of reflexology to a sham TENS control that the participants believed produced pain relief. This is the equivalent of a sugar pill in drug trials.”

Samuel added, “This is an early study, and more work will need to be done to find out about the way reflexology works. However, it looks like it may be used to complement conventional drug therapy in the treatment of conditions that are associated with pain, such as osteoarthritis, backache and cancers”.

The study has been published in the Journal of Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.

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